You are Squadron Leader Scarlet Harrison, and you have just been asked to talk privately with an American witch whom you've never spoken to before. Fuck yeah, new friends abound.

Captain “Buzz” Wagner is probably the wingmate you know the least about. Outside of combat, you've only seen her a handful of times. Her hair is kept short, a very pale blonde contrasting with her deeply tanned skin, a remnant from her time in South-East Asia. Buzz - along with Sammy and Reggie - is a part of the Hellkittens, a group of American witches who only got back from Guadalcanal a week or two ago. Currently the three of them are part of the second squadron, along with Kate and Diane.

“No, no, no” She says rather quickly. “He's cute, I'll give him that, but not my type. If him and Dalton didn't get along, I doubt we would. But,” she sneaks a quick glance back into the kitchen, “looks like Sammy's taken a liking to him. What do you think?”

That's certainly true. She does seem to have difficulty taking her eyes off of him. She's the same age as him, so definitely in his target range. You've heard that he doesn't like girls that are more than a few years younger than him. Twenty-two seems to be the lowest he'll go.

“So she has a shot, yeah?” Buzz asks.

Does she? Hell, does HE? Sammy doesn't seem like the romantic type...

“Oh hell.” Buzz laughs. “Back on the islands, we had our pick of the guys. I could take any one I wanted to bed. Sammy was working so hard, I swear I never saw her bat an eye at 'em. But now that she ain't in command...”

You feel your face start to get more than a little warm at her casual remarks. Take any guy to bed... You'd like to think you're a bit more pure than that. But, Rick and Sammy, eh? What of it?

“I'm asking,” she leans in a bit closer, a bit uncomfortably so, “if you'd be interested in helping push their relationship along a bit.”

[ ] I'm in. Where do we start?[ ] Not sure I understand. Explain further.[ ] Sorry, but I have a lot on my plate as it is.

“Oh, come on, Scarlet- Red. Everyone calls you Red, right?” She grabs your shoulder and points you into the doorway. Kate appears to have fallen asleep and Ayaka's joined the table. Rick, it seems, keeps trying to engage Sammy in the conversation, but the poor girl just won't stay attentive for long. She just keeps looking away and blushing. “Look at that. If that doesn't say she wants to jump his bones then I don't know what does.”

Jump his bones? She looks more like a schoolgirl. Unless Buzz had a rather exciting school life...

“Can't kiss and tell.” She says, giving you a sly wink. Is she- “But listen. All I'd ask from you is to see what he thinks of her. That's it. For now. Sammy's my best friend and if I can get her this little bit of happiness in our shitty lives, I'm going to. Think you can help me out?”

Rick has always been hard to read for as long as you can remember. Not a single person has ever gotten him visibly upset. Angry, sure. He's gotten angry lots of times, but he always seems to keep that dead calm going. You remember Kate once telling you that he's the complete opposite of what you'd expect from a pilot.

So that's all Buzz wants from you? Just ask him what he thinks of Sammy? You give her a suspicious look. What's the catch?

“Nothing, nothing!” She says in mock-surrender. “Might get you to help me with some stuff later on, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. And hey, for what it's worth I'll owe you a favour. So what do you say?”

Buzz gives some kind of look and turns to the two of them. “Think I'll tag-along, if you don't mind.”

Rick smiles and shrugs in his usual cool manner. Sammy gives her a quick little nod. As the three disappear into the halls, you hear Sammy ask about what Buzz wanted with you.

The kitchen seems nearly empty now. Only Ayaka sits at the table, quietly eating her fish with a pair of chopsticks. Beside her sits your own meal. The fish seems to be grilled to perfect, placed with a fork and knife for you.

Ayaka glances up at you as you take a seat. “The hell were you? If you're gonna steal off to a closet with someone and leave me alone, I'd rather you tell me in advance.”

Harr de harr de harr. You jab a fork into your fish and take a bite. Oh wow... she is really good. Like, REALLY good at cooking fish. You haven't tried anything else that she's made, but this is at least as good as Bobby's food.

“So, um, not to point out the elephant at the table, but,” Ayaka points a chopstick at Kate, “think we should wake her?”

You do note, however, that Kate's smoky little French companion is nowhere to be found. Usually her and Diane are practically glued together.

“She was here when I got in,” Ayaka says between bites, “didn't see her leave. Guess she went for a smoke or something. Either that or she's hiding in a cupboard. Or the fridge. But who does that?”

You could see Ayaka ending up in a cupboard. She seems to have a knack for turning up in weird places. But not the fridge. What kind of weirdo hides in a fridge?

“Mmm. Too cold. Butt gets sore.” The Japanese witch mumbles. You really don't want to know if she's speaking from experience or not.

Very few words are exchanged as you eat. You confirm with Ayaka that neither of you know what the hell that was in the lake. She tries to prod at your little problem with the martian a bit, but you're not too keen on talking about it just yet.

Your late lunch finishes up soon enough and Ayaka wanders off to train with her sword. You lean back in your chair and think about your current to-do list.

You still need to figure out what's up with Riley. Asking Woody or Reggie might be the best idea there. You also want to figure out what Minnie is doing on the base. Though, you're not sure if you'll get many answers there just yet. Finally there's the thing about Rick and Sammy. There might also be other minor things you're forgetting...

A light glow of that blue-green colour of magic emanates from you as you manifest just a little bit of magic. You feel the black, fluffy dog ears sprout from your head and uncomfortably cramped feeling comes from your behind, making you readjust your position so your tail and stick out through the chair. Just this once, you tell yourself. Just this once.

You gently reach up and take a light hold of one of your dog ears. Always so soft. Even softer than Rose's. You move your hand around, trying to figure out the spot she rubbed. Was it closer to the base? Or maybe near the tip... You subconsciously start to wag your tail as you reach another hand up.

Your face scrunches up as you try and find the right spot, not managing to get any feeli- Wait. Your hand brushes over a spot right at the corner of the base, where ear meets head. Right there. You have to cross your legs tightly to keep from kicki-

“Red?” Kate groans, looking up at you with her face still planted firmly on the table. “What are you doing?”

“NOTHING!” You shout as the glow ceases and the animal bits recede. “Just sitting!”

Kate snickers and closes her eyes again. “Whatever you say. You ever want help with nothing, you just come see your big sis, m'kay?”

Your face burns up as you shout about not being her sister.

“We can always pretend~” She teases. Or at least you think it's teasing.

You get up and slam the chair back against the table, storming off with your face beet red. That Kate... She's just so... so LEWD. You were just touching your ears! It's not like that's weird or anything! You reach a hand up and fondle your regular, human ears. It's just like that, only fluffier! And you can't actually hear anything with them...

Time for business, you grumble to yourself. You need to... You need to... Go figure out what's up with Riley! Yeah!

Right on cue, you spot Woody heading out of the common room. Just the person you wanted to see!

“Good afternoon, ma'am!” She says, snapping to a salute. Seriously, this kid. She's even more professional than you are. “Is there, um, something you need, ma'am?”

You'd like to ask her some things, but the middle of the hallway might not be the best place for that...

“Surprise room inspection!” You respond, putting an arm around her shoulders and gently pulling her along. The top of her head only reaches your shoulders, so it's a little awkward.

“B-but!” She protests, trying in vain to pull back.

No buts!

Actually FINDING her room is another matter entirely, as it turns out. You end up leading her through the hall that you THOUGHT her room was in, only to find her incredibly confused when you ask which it is. As it turns out, she was in room four the whole time. Only two doors down from you. Well golly, that's awkward.

“C-can I at least clean up a bit?” Woody cries out, panicking.

Hahaha. Nope. That would defeat the purpose of a surprise inspection, wouldn't it? No brakes on the Scarlet train, baby.

You shove open the door to find the room... much tidier than expected. You honestly can't fathom what she could have done to make it more clean. She has a little desk in front of her window, all of the stationary and utensils arranged nicely on top. On her immaculately made bed sits Commander Cuddles, her favourite teddy bear. All of her drawers and cupboards actually close, as opposed to your own. You have a feeling she's going to make it big some day.

Woody takes a seat on her bed, grabbing Commander Cuddles and hugging him tight. You take a seat beside her near the foot, trying not to mess up the sheets too badly.

“So... what did you want to talk about?” She asks.

[ ] Ease her in. Ask about herself.[ ] Cut to the chase and ask about Riley.

It'd probably be best to start off slow. Ease her in to it. Rose was always better at dealing with others, she'd probably do something similar.

“So Woody,” you start, “how have you been these days? Holding up okay?”

She nods quietly. “'m okay. I have a lot more friends now. Riley introduced me to her friend Reggie. She's a little weird, but she's still fun to play with. And Ekaterina! She had to go, but we played snakes and ladders with her for a bit.”

Figures she'd jump to talking about others. How is everything okay on HER end? No worries or fears?

“No more than anyone else, I guess.” She shrugs. “I kind of miss the base on Comox, though. It was nicer there.”

Really? It was okay, but this place seems a lot more spacious. You even get your own room!

Woody nods again. “I kind of liked sharing rooms, though. It was comforting. You weren't alone when you slept.”

Comox was... well, it was a nice place, yeah. It was originally just you, Jane and Rose there. You each had your own room. Then Woody arrived and you drew the short straw, forcing you to room with her. You've stayed at a lot of bases over your year of service. Some you had rooms to yourselves, others you had roommates. Hell, one even had everyone in the same room. You really hated Illinois...

“You were in Illinois?” She gasps. “Was... was it as bad as they say?”

Well, you weren't there for the first couple months. Apparently those days were really bad.

“What was it like?” She asks, nudging a little closer. “When you first started, I mean.”

[ ] Tell the truth. It was rough.[ ] Lie. It wasn't all that bad.[ ] Dodge. Change the topic.

You want to tell her it was fine, tell her that everything will be okay and things will work out. But she's smarter than that. Veronica Woodward is someone cut for command. She'd know if you were sugarcoating it. So you tell her the truth.

You first got shoved into service back in February of '42. More than a year ago now. Shit, has it really been that long? You and Rose were so excited. You can still remember how much fun you thought it would be. Childish, naive, but you wouldn't blame Woody for thinking the same thing after all that the job's been glorified. Look at you now, you even get days off to recharge you magic.

Your squadron was shuffled around every other week. Always a new base and some new town to liberate or martian convoy to attack. That's how the Demon name started. You'd hurl yourselves after martian convoys, slaughtering not only those there, but the hungry squid soldiers who would be missing supplies like angels of death. Demons... Yeah. That's what you must look like to them.

But the important part is that through it all you had people to rely on. Rose. Kate. Diane. Jane. Wendy, your CO. You were all in it together. Sisters to the end.

You reach down and ruffle Woody's dark, fluffy hair. She should never forget that. If she has a problem, she can always talk to you about it. And hell, if she wants a roommate that badly you can probably pull some strings and figure something out...

“I, um, I was just thinking, y'know,” she looks down, almost burying her face in Commander Cuddles, “it could be just like at Comox.”

So she wants to room with you...

Woody nods. “You can be kinda dumb sometimes, but you're like a big sister.”

That being no way to talk to a superior officer aside, what about Rose?

The little witch shakes her head. “She's more like a mom. You can't really talk to her the same way.”

You can't really say anything there. You've been best friends since you were little, so it's hard to imagine her being difficult to talk to. But she probably doesn't like looking weak to the younger girls.

>>23250544They're very, VERY loosely based on the 407th. They use the designation, the name and... that's about it. I pretty much just picked them because they were based on the west coast and had a cool nickname.

>>23250734It ended up working better this way. I might end up writing the history of the North American front in 1942 if planefag doesn't get around to it. Essentially they got the title as I just describe: going after martian convoys like a band of demons.

>>23250746I'd take offense to that if it wasn't how everything I've written thus far has turned out.

You'll work on the roommate thing, but no promises. She'd be handy with the cleaning, but the little thing snores like nothing you've ever heard before.

Something draws your attention to her teddy bear. It looks pretty standard from the waist up, save for the big 509th Wing patch on its chest. Below the waist is made from a completely different material, however, and it sports a pair of strikers. You've always wondered about it, but never got the whole story. She got it some time when you crashed. Might as well ask...

“Th-the Commander?” She stutters. He's 'the Commander' now? Huh. “Well, we got attack when we were evacuating Comox. Some stuff happened and my bag got all torn up. Everyone chipped in to fix him and they gave him strikers.”

Hah. So the Commander is girl!

“What? No!” She pouts, making the most adorable little face. “Commander Cuddles is a boy!”

But boys can't use magic!

“Hrmph!” She hrmph's, shoving her face into the bearwitch.

It takes you a moment, but you manage to pick out one part of her story that bugs you. “Some stuff happened”? Rose told you that she got injured, but not much more.

“One of them,” she mumbles into Commander Cuddles, barely audible, “one of them grabbed me.”

...wat.

“Those little walkers. I-I was taking off and it ran onto the strip and jumped and...” You can just hear her voice dying in her throat. “It grabbed me. By the striker. It just kept squeezing and trying to pull me down. Riley saved me, but it got my bag.”

Woody nods. “She got real angry and tore its claws right off. She was there when I woke up, too. The Wing Commander said she never left me.”

You're almost too caught up in it to realize your chance here. How has Riley been?

“She's been okay, I guess.” Woody shrugs. “Why?”

A little birdie told you that she's been acting kind of weird lately.

“She's been a bit quieter lately.” She replies, looking somewhat confused. “I kind of just thought it was her growing up.”

Growing up is all well and good, but when it happens that quickly something's wrong. If even Woody didn't know about it, it makes you wonder exactly how much the wee American has been bottling up. She's always so happy-go-lucky. It makes sense that there's something else there...

“I should talk to her about it, huh?” Woody mumbles into her teddy bear.

IT'S NOT A DA- Wait. Yes. You are technically going out. But not GOING OUT going out.

“Of course not!” Woody shouts, blushing. “Th-that's forbidden love!”

EXACTLY. Finally, someone who gets it!

After exchanging your good-byes with Woody, you slip out the door and back into the untamed wilds of the building. It's nearing the evening now, casting a dull orange glow through the base. What to do now...

You wander the halls as you think of your next destination. On one hand, keep your promise to Buzz. On the other, you'd like to get some answers from Minnie. She should be in the last room... There! You can faintly hear Minnie's distinctive voice from the other side. You give the door a few light knocks.

“Come on in, darling~” Her whimsical voice calls out from the other side. She's always had that strange cheer to her...

The older witch sits on her bed cross-legged, holding a phone to her ear. How did she get her own phone? None of the other rooms have them!

“Alright, dear, I have to go now. ... I miss you too. Give your father lots of hugs and kisses for me. ... I love you too, Jackie.” The phone clicks on the receiver as she sets it down and turns to you. “Scarlet. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

You'd like some answers, if it's not too much trouble. She said she'd tell you after she spoke with Rose.

“So I did, so I did.” She says, getting up to stretch. You note that she's... particularly well equipped. Far more so than yourself. “I'll be staying here for a week or two. Unofficially, off the record, that old chestnut. Probably do a bit of solo work like I did before I met Billy.”

That's not what you meant and she knows it. Why is she here and why now?

“Straight to the point, eh? Of course, dear.” Minnie smiles. There's something a bit unnerving about it that you can't quite place. Something about the way her eyes glisten so intently. “I'm here because I need to speak with some very important people and I thought I'd lend you girls a hand. Why now? Well that's simple, darling. I didn't find what I wanted until now.”

Find what she wanted?

“All in good time, darling. All in good time.” She says, taking a seat back on her bed. Minnie makes a show of letting out a long, sad sigh. “Really. Just once I'd like to have a normal conversation with someone without either side being suspicious of the other.”

You take a seat beside her and try to think of what to talk about. It takes a bit, but eventually a thought hits you. She fought against the Germans, right? How does she feel about Johanna?

“Oh, Miss Wiese?” Minnie replies. “She's a lovely girl, it was such a pleasure having her at the academy. Why do you ask, dear?”

You tell her about how Johanna wanted to meet with the Russians and how Vasilika didn't exactly seem the type to drop a grudge that easily. Minnie ponders for a moment, then another, and another.

“It's a bit difficult in some cases. Letting go of those feelings can be hard, especially for those that fought on the ground. Billy and I were invited to numerous balls and events hosted by our former enemies. Billy even made good friends with Mister Udet.” The older witch lets out another sigh. “But there's a certain detachment for those of us who fight in the air. These Russian witches have probably seen more bloodshed than either of us ever will. I'm not really sure how much I could do.”

What about the Russians, anyways? She ought to know something.

“I'm afraid not. They were as much a surprise to me as they were to you.” She shrugs, leaning back on her hands. “I don't quite know what to think of them just yet. Sorry, darling.”

“The prime minister, I suppose.” She laughs. You're not really sure if she's kidding or not. “I should probably call him up later...”

If she doesn't know anything there, you might as well change the subject. What about Rick? Seems they've gotten a bit close.

“Richard? Oh yes. He's a dear.” She giggles to herself a bit at the thought. “He's so serious all the time that I just can't resist teasing him. He's just so... unlike most pilots. And I should know about pilots, I married one.”

You take a deep breath and lay out what Buzz told you about him and Sammy. Could Minnie, just maybe, help you out a bit there?

“Play matchmaker, darling?” She asks, an excited gleam coming to her eye.

Well, yeah. Basically.

“I could do that.” Minnie says, a bright, wide smile coming to her face. “I could definitely do that.”

Something tells you that you may have unleashed something you didn't intend to...

“Will that be all then, dearie? I wish I could tell you more, but you know how things are.”

Hey, you've got an older, more experienced witch on hand. Might as well ask some advice on things. First and foremost would be how to deal with younger witches. Seriously. How do you even.

“Ah yes. That's always a problem, isn't it?” Minnie says. “I remember back when I was under your grandmother's command with Wendy. I was only fifteen when I enlisted, Wendy was thirteen. It was difficult those first couple years. Though, we were fighting fellow witches and pilots. They just need to be trained the proper way. You need to let them be girls or they end up all screwy like Wendy and I.”

You figured as much. But at the same time, you don't want them to become a hindrance in combat.

“It's Miss Bong that you're worried about, isn't it?” How did she know... “She performs admirably in combat as it is. I'll admit that she's a bit less mature than one would like, though. Just let her be with her friends. Let them play like girls when they can. They need to know that this isn't all there is to life, or they'll turn it into their life once it's over.”

Yeah... you could do that. Or else she'll turn “all screwy”, huh? You've got enough folks like that as it is. Wendy, Kate, Diane... maybe you too, now.

You didn't really notice it until recently, but you just... really hate Martians. More than anyone else it seems. The way you just flipped out and unloaded on that one. It was so... primal. Just total instinct. And it scared the shit out of you.

“Oh no...” Minnie sighs. Her face is a mixture of something between fear and sorrow. Is that really the look you deserve? “I was hoping this would never happen.”

So what do you DO about it?

“It's difficult, sometimes it seems nearly impossible. Wendy had it rather bad after the Somme. Billy and I were injured and at home for that. It's where we met, actually. She saw things there that follow her to this day.” Minnie takes a deep breath. “Some of it never leaves you. Having someone to lean on helps. Wendy had her husband, William. After he died, she was never the same. But until you find that someone, it will only get worse and it will never entirely go away.”

Just what you wanted to hear...

“I'm terribly sorry, dear.” She smiles a bit. “At least you have Rosie. It's rare to have friends like that.”

Rose IS pretty great. She's always up for a cry and a drink.

“You two always did seem like a cute couple.” Minnie giggles to herself.

What? You and ROSE? You're like sisters! You couldn't...

“Oh, pish-posh, darling!” Minnie calls out, her giggles turning into fits of laughter. “I'll have you know that the number of witch couples multiplied ten-fold after the war!”

That's... YEAH. YOU SHOULD PROBABLY GET GOING NOW.

You quickly say your good-byes and rush out, face burning red. Your stomach growls as you step out. It's getting near to dinner time, apparently. You could go whip something up or you could look for Rick... or you could do something else entirely.

You could go find Rick... or you could find food... or you could do both. Somehow... Maybe Rick will already be in the kitchen. Your brain is torn. Maybe... go kitchen. But might not find Rick. As you wander the halls with these incredibly complex choices tumbling around in your brain, you notice someone familiar stepping out of the room next to yours. That short brown hair. Those glasses. That small pile of comic books clutched in one hand...

“Scarlet.”

Jane. One of your two night witches and one of the original members of the 407th. She always seems to only have her eyes half open. Sometimes you wonder if she's on some kind of drug. This must be the first time you've both been awake at the same time in days. She must be just getting up for her patrol. Maybe you could join her for breakfast... or dinner as it is for you.

“Bah! Purdy good my azz! Yer lucky th’ damage is mostly superficial. And I hear y’all managed to go an’ piss off one’a them russkie weetches. She’s been goin ‘round post lookin’ fer “Toot”. I dunno whatchu did to get’er rilled, but th’ last think I need is some weetch comin’ up in here struttin’ dat azz and hollerin’ about “weetch privilege” Stacks spit black stream of tobacco from between his teeth. “S’a gawddamn chauvinistic weetch attitude that’s gonna drive this all to sheit. Not to mention th’er damn commies” Stacks spat the last sentence out with another stream of chew.

A few minutes later, the five of them were making their way to the chow hall. Most of the 34th Infantry Division had returned to Fort Alberni as well. Constant patrols were being sent into the city to flush out any remaining Martian forces.

“Well, that didn’t go too bad.” Willie whistled as they walked. “I’ll take a dressing down over a demotion any day.”

“Or KP and latrine duty.” Joe chuckled. “Hell, you remember when you crashed Big Bear into that restaurant in California? I thought we’d be peelin’ potatoes for a week.”

Fortunately the line for chow was short. Soon they were at a table enjoying their meal of spaghetti and garlic bread. More and more men filed in, and room filled with a dull roar as soldiers ate and conversed.

“So, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask, Corporal.” Sam said as he took a bite of his spaghetti. “What’s with the kiddy names for you vehicles? Big Bear? Lil Toot? What gives?”

“Welp.” Steve set his fork down and wiped his mouth. “I let muh lit’le girl name ‘em.”

“She’s a cute kid” Joe added. “You two might meet her one day, and his wife too. She cooks a mean pot roast, I tell ya, what.”

“Heh, yup. She cooks a mean anything, I tell ya.” Steve took another bite of his bread. “When this is all o’er, I oughta get y’all over at th’ house. We’ll have a big ole barbeque. All th’ fixin’s. And I’ll have Glenda cook up som’ver famous pecan pie.”

They continued for several more minutes, discussing home and family, until a loud voice interrupted everyone’s conversations.

Joe spoke after taking another drag from his cigarette. “Alright boys, I’m betting they’re gonna be sending us out again soon. I think a supply run is in order, while we got the time.”

Oh? And how do you suppose we do that?” Willie asked. Talking a cigarette Joe offered. “It’s not like they’re just gonna give us a pass.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem.” Joe offered George and Sam smokes as well.

“No thanks” George held up his hand, as Sam took one for himself.

“What do we need, anyway?” Sam asked as he lit up his cigarette.

“Well, for one, more smokes. I’m running low. Two, some decent food. Something besides those damn rations they give us. Last but definitely not least, three. We need some booze. Whiskey, bourbon, vodka, scotch, I don’t care. We need something.” Joe took another drag from his cigarette, before crushing the butt with his foot.

“The usual, huh?” Willie asked as he finished his.

“Is, is this a good idea?” Sam asked. “I mean, alcohol is nice and all, especially what they have up here. I just think we’re in enough trouble already, is all.”

“Ha ha ha! Don’t you worry, kiddo. We may like our share of liquor, but we know how to keep it level.” Willie laughed. “It’s just a little something to keep our throats wet, is all.”

“Right!” Joe rubbed his hands together. “The issue we have now is getting out. There’s a General Store a few miles off post. I think we can sneak out, and be back before anyone’s the wiser.”

“Well, obviously the gate is a no-go.” Willie mused.

“I think I have an idea.” Joe said, scratching his chin and looking toward Head Quarters.

>>23254488I don't expect the odd choices, but I'm certainly grateful for it. It makes everything more fun and interesting! So don't hesitate to give out of the ordinary suggestions.

I KIND OF expected some attachment to Rose, however going down that path is probably the most difficult of the more popular choices. They really do see each other as sisters and that won't be easy to get over.

Strike Witches Crimson is simply a Strike Witches quest focusing on a Joint Fighter Wing based in Canada. If you're referring to Lil Toot, it's a story about an M10 tank destroyer crew that are on the same base as the witches in Crimson. I'd highly recommend it.

A few minutes later, the fire alarm of the HQ blared, and smoke began to rise from the rear of the building. Soldiers ran frantically around trying to find the source of the fire. No one paid much attention to four soldiers driving past and right out the exit in a jeep.

“HA HA! Told ya it would work! Working for my uncle as electrician paid off.” Joe laughed as Willie sped down the road.

“Oh goddammit. You know any place around here that does? Any place at all?” Joe asked.

“Nope.”

“Nothing at all? Come on buddy, this place can’t be completely dry.” Willie pleaded.

“Hey, I’m not your ‘buddy’, friend.” The clerk shifted his eyes from left to right. “Hey, obviously you guys got some money on you. OK. I might have something.” He reached under the counter and pulled out a liter bottle. “Canadian Club. This oughta wet your gullet for a little while.”

Joe whistled. “Very nice! We’ll take two.”

“Sixty bucks.”

“What. Oh come on guy? Are you kidding me?”

“Seventy. And I’m not your ‘guy’, pal.”

“Fine, fine! We’ll pay!” Joe sighed as he put the rest of their purchase on the counter. The clerk rang up their total, and Lil Toot’s crew made their way back to post.

“There goes most of this month’s pay check.” Sam sighed.

“Yeah.” George agreed. “I was hoping to send a little more back home.”

“No worries , you two.” Willie laughed. “It’s worth it. And George, what’s with all the paper and the cook books?”

“The, uh, cook books are gifts.” George said nervously. “And I like to write letters.”

“Works for me.” Willie replied.

He parked the jeep a quarter of a mile off post. Gathering their supplies, they made their way to the edge of camp without incident. They crossed under the fence and back on post.

Joe looked around. “Ooooh shit. This is where they keep the Russian sparkle’s stuff. We need to move, and quick. I don’t wanna be caught by these commie bastards. I bet they got their own private gulag around here somewhere.”

“I think I found something” George said after a few minutes of stumbling. A beam of light pierced through the darkness. “I found a work light!”

Joe got up off his hands and knees. “Good work, Georgy.” He looked around.” Well would you look at that.”

George’s light cut across the hangar. The shapes of the Soviets strikers surrounded them. As they looked on in wonder, a door on the other side of the room swung open. Light poured in around a large figure in the doorway.

“Uh oh” George breathed.

The man’s head turned in their direction. The man asked something in Russian, before yelling in broken English.

And that's it for chapter 4! How will our hero's escape the clutches of Remove?Will Joe ever get to enjoy his liquor? The answer the these questions and more in the next chapter of The Adventures of Lil Toot! As always, feed backs is welcome, and I hope you enjoy it!